How will you pay for your retirement?

Brand new guide provides information on unlocking the wealth in your property

2:17PM BST 14 Apr 2014

Put simply, equity release allows you to generate cash from the value of your home in the form of a tax-free lump sum, or by drawing smaller amounts as and when you need them, without the stress and hassle that moving can involve.

After years of working hard to make monthly mortgage repayments, your home is likely to be your biggest asset, particularly if you have benefited from the increase in house prices over the past few decades.

But what good is it to have all that money tied up in your bricks and mortar if you could use it now to enjoy life to the full?

Today we are launching our brand new guide to Equity Release, produced in association with Key Retirement Solutions, providers of the Telegraph Equity Release Service. This guide is a helpful first step for anyone considering unlocking the value that has built up in their bricks and mortar over the years.

The free 26-page guide explains how homeowners aged 55 to 95 can release tax-free cash from their homes to spend however they like. Popular uses of equity release include making home and garden improvements, helping out family and friends, going on holiday or simply helping to meet those day-to-day bills.

This independent guide, written by Telegraph financial journalist Mel Wright, covers the way that today’s financial climate is affecting retirees, and the safety aspects of releasing the wealth in your home. The guide explains how equity release will reduce the value of your estate, and how it may affect your entitlement to state benefits.